Widely acknowledged as one of Australia's most accomplished young actors, Gia Carides has has a career that skyrocketed following her turn as the loud and pushy Liz in Baz Luhrmann's hit movie "Strictly Ballroom" (1992). Though blonde for "Ballroom", this attractive, smokey-voiced brunette began as an ingenue in the genre pic "Midnight Spares" (1982) and appeared in the chronicle of the champion Australian racehorse "Phar Lap" (1983), credited as Georgia Carr. She performed sex acts on her coke-dealer brother in exchange for drugs in "Bliss" (1985) and was convincing as a rookie cop in "Backlash" (1986). For the latter, she and co-star Trevor Darling turned to improvisation to fully realize their parts, contributing so much in the process that they both earned screenwriting credits. Carides teamed with her significant other, fellow Aussie Anthony LaPaglia, in "Paperback Romance" (1994), playing Sophie, a disabled erotic writer whose inadvertent readings aloud turn-on a handsome jeweler (LaPaglia) and plunge them together with Rebecca Gibney into a triangle that unfortunately does not generate the requisite dramatic tension. "Brilliant Lies" (1996) reunited the two, but this time as antagonists with Carides accusing former employer LaPaglia of sexual harassment and unfair dismissal in this Australian courtroom drama. She also portrayed Cashmere McCloud, the president's former mistress (please, no comparisons to Gennifer Flowers) in Mike Nichols' film adaptation of the best-seller "Primary Colors" (1998).
Profession(s):
Actor, screenwriter
Sometimes Credited As:
Georgia Carr
Family
brother-in-law:Jonathan LaPaglia
daughter:Bridget LaPaglia (born c. 2003; father, Anthony LaPaglia)
husband:Anthony LaPaglia (met at a party in Sydney, Australia c. 1992; married in 1998)
sister:Zoe Carides (played Gia's sibling in "Brilliant Lies"; born on February 19, 1962)
sister:Danielle Carides
1998 Played Cashmere McCloud, the president's former mistress, in "Primary Colors" (directed by Mike Nichols; screenplay by Elaine May)
1996 Paired with LaPaglia again for "Brilliant Lies"
1996 Seen in Steven Feder's indie "The Cottonwood"
1995 Appeared in "Bad Company", starring Ellen Barkin and Laurence Fishburne
1995 Portrayed Vesper in TV movie "The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space" on the Starz! network
1994 Acted opposite her significant other, fellow Aussie Anthony LaPaglia, in "Paperback Romance"
1992 Propelled into international acting arena by the success of "Strictly Ballroom", in which she co-starred as Liz, the loud and pushy, man-hungry blond dancer
1986 Offered a convincing turn as a rookie cop in "Backlash"
1985 Portrayed daughter Lucy, who performs sex acts on her brother in lieu of cash for drugs, in "Bliss"
1983 Billed as Georgia Carr for her turn in "Phar Lap"
1982 Played the ingenue amidst colorful characters in the Australian car movie "Midnite Spares"
1977 Appeared in 50-minute film "The Love Letters from Teralba Road"
Signed three-picture deal with Disney
